Sydney doctor's major operation

A young Sydney doctor has been appointed the first Australian president of the world's largest independent medical aid organisation.

Rowan Gillies, 32, will soon become the public face of international humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

The organisation's headquarters in Brussels is a far cry from Sydney's northern beaches, where Dr Gillies works as a surgical registrar at Mona Vale Hospital.

But the Longueville-born doctor says he's relishing the task ahead.

"My plan would be to go and work in the field for a week or two at the nastiest level, then go to the highest level, be it the UN or Washington, and tell them what's going on," he said.

Since 1998 Dr Gillies has worked for MSF in some of the world's major hot spots, including Liberia, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, where he was bombed when caught between the advancing Taliban and the Northern Alliance.

But despite some hairy experiences in war-torn countries, Dr Gillies said his biggest challenge lies ahead.

When he replaces current president Morten Rostrup on February 1, continuing the admirable reputation of the MSF, which has been in operation since 1971, will be his priority.

"We don't want to become a huge organisation that just talks and talks and talks and doesn't do anything," he said.

"It's very much about pragmatic action and our talking should be based on what we see in the field. I think if I can keep that focus, which has been very well done by the recent president, that would be great."

While MSF still has a fairly low profile in Australia, a new movie starring Angelina Jolie may change that. Beyond Borders has been touted as a romantic portrayal of MSF and its work but the organisation is trying to dispel that misconception.

"It is not based on MSF and, because we've had no role or input into the researching or writing of the film, it is not inspired by our organisation," a spokesman said.

But if the film doesn't put MSF Australia on the map, Dr Gillies will.

Philippe Courturier, executive director of MSF's Australian branch, said Dr Gillies's appointment indicated Australia had become an important and recognised member of the largely European-based organisation.

"This job is not an easy one, but he is very clear and very powerful and he wants to express the concerns we have to different contacts," Mr Courturier said.

Dr Gillies said that despite the challenges ahead, it was easy to stay motivated in an organisation that represented the ideals of every doctor - to be able to help people purely on the basis of their need for medical attention, regardless of their political or religious persuasion.